


City of Stars

by 80sgoonies



Category: Dash & Lily (TV), Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Genre: F/M, i’m new here sorry, more dash & lily content more dash & lily content, valentine’s day plot, what else do i add lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/80sgoonies/pseuds/80sgoonies
Summary: City of stars ...Lily hasn’t celebrated Valentine’s Day with a partner, while Dash had some experience with them but they both want to make it a special day for each other.... are you shining just for me
Relationships: Dash/Lily (Dash & Lily)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

February 13, 11:59.

Lily couldn’t take her eyes off the clock, she was a minute away from Valentine’s Day and she still had no clue what to give Dash. She never got the chance to celebrate it with someone in all her 17 years of her life, until now. What are you supposed to do on such a lovely day with such a lovely boyfriend? The alarm sounded, it was officially Valentine’s Day, Lily rushed through the corridor to check her grandpa’s room. Empty, he went to visit his girlfriend in Florida. She ran now to Langston’s room to check if she was completely alone.

“I need your help!” Lily opened the door with her eyes closed “Can you help me please?”

She opened her eyes to see his brother in bed with his phone, he looked tired and probably a little annoyed by the visit. “It’s 12 pm, can’t this wait?”

Lily made a pause to think, was this really that urgent? It’s Valentine’s Day and she has no idea what to do, it is an emergency. “I need your help, it's huge!” Langston looked at her with a tired face but made a sign for her to take a seat next to him. 

“So, you know Valentine's Day is tomorrow right?” Langston gasped and covered his mouth, he definitely figured out himself what Lily was going through.

“You don’t have a gift for Dash?!” Lily nod quietly, she felt a little embarrassed by his reaction.

“Yes! And I don’t know what to do, it’s my first valentine with a…” she made a pause, she still felt something odd when she referred to Dash as his boyfriend even if they’ve been together for almost two months. “with a boy like Dash and I just want it to be special”

“Do you know his measurements?”

“HIS WHAT?!” 

“You know! You could make him a sweater!” 

Lily just knew he isn’t that tall and that he is practically a stick, she would constantly think he would break if she hugged him too hard so she would always touch him gently

“No… but maybe I could ask him” Lily took out her phone. This was a perfect idea, it might take her all night doing the sweater but she knew Dash would appreciate it, she was about to send the message when Langston took her phone from her hands.

“Don’t send it now! He’s going to know what you are up to” Langston checked the message and read it out loud with a high pitched voice, trying to sound like Lily “Hi Dash! I know it’s late but I was wondering if you could… God Lily! This gives away your whole idea.”

Langston kept the phone and scrolled through the conversations, he didn’t look pleased. “Can I have my phone back now? … Please?” He ignored her request and continued looking through her phone until Lily reached out and took it herself.

“YOU SENT THE MESSAGE?!” Langston forgot to delete the whole message and accidentally sent a ‘Hi Dash!’ “YOU JUST WENT THROUGH THE CONVERSATION! HE THINKS I’M ASLEEP”

“Oh yes I went through the conversation and Lily, you need to stop using so many emojis” He’s talking calmly while Lily is trying to stay calm. “Also he sounds so cold! He definitely needs some love”

Lily looked at her phone, she liked using emojis in texts it made them look nicer, while Dash tended to write short messages and grammatically correct, Lily would usually find it cute.

“He’s just like that! He’s less cold in person, don’t be dramatic” Langston gave her a look, he didn’t look convinced but she didn't care this time, she knew what she was talking about. “But this is not why I'm here okay? I need your help… now!”

Langston was about to talk when Lily’s phone got a notification, he looked at the phone waiting for her to answer so he could continue.

“It 's Dash… oh no” she paused herself to read his message.

“What does it say?! I want to know” Langston made his way closer to Lily to read too but she moved her phone away from him so she could continue reading herself.

“He asked if it isn’t late for me to be awake”

“It’s 12 something, it’s not late at all”

“Well Langston, I tend to go to sleep early so leave me alone.” She was about to answer his message when another notification came and she gasped.

“I want to see c’mon!” Lily showed him the phone and he read the whole message himself. “He wants to meet up at 9 in the morning? That’s kind of early and considering he’s awake right now, does he even sleep?”

“Langston, please! That’s not the point, he already has something for tomorrow… NO! FOR TODAY! and I’m here in your room with no ideas of how to spend a Valentine’s Day with him”

“Where does he even want you to go”

She checked the location link he sent her, it was a music store. “It says Music Inn… Music Inn World Instruments! Maybe he’s buying me a tambourine, wouldn’t that be fun?”

Langston was all the time on his phone while Lily was reading the directions, after she was done he looked at her in disgust. “Lily, you don’t have to worry, that place doesn’t look romantic at all. It honestly looks filthy.”

He showed her a picture of the place, it didn’t look so bad, just full of things but that was its charm… or at least that was what she thought. “Don’t be so hard, maybe he has a plan, you never know with him.”

“You two have an odd way to show love but that’s actually cute! You got your perfect weird boyfriend and it’s nice.” Lily gave him a slight punch in the arm but she had to admit, he was different and that was good, he was special.

“He’s the perfect boyfriend and I still haven’t gotten anything, Langston think and help me out” She shook him, they were going nowhere with this conversation and she began to panic even more.

“Calm down! You have all night to think or maybe go to sleep and think about it in the morning” He pushed his sister gently so she could leave his room. Lily stood up and stayed near the door. 

“That would be rushed and I want it to be perfect!” Langston didn’t listen to her, he already closed the door in her face. “Thank you for nothing!”

“You will figure it out! After all, you are Lily Mori-Novak!” Langston said loudly from inside his room.

Lily went to her room, she needed to rest for the morning. She laid in bed but her mind couldn’t stop thinking about what she should do for Dash, it was going to be a long night after all.


	2. Chapter 2

February 14, 8:49 am

Dash was waiting for Lily for around 30 minutes, he knew she wasn’t going to show up that early but he wanted to set everything up, he wanted it to be perfect. Of course, it wasn’t going to be as he exactly planned, since the employees didn’t trust two teenagers alone in the isolated room from Music Inn World Instruments, definitely not on Valentine’s Day.

“What are you doing anyway?” Mick asked who was standing up the stairs, he worked here and was the one who convinced his boss to let Dash use this, he’s also friends with Sofia from school.

“Well Michael, I’m trying to do something romantic here” Dash went and connected the microphone. “Lily said she likes La La Land so, I’m trying to do something here.”

“Who 's Lily?”

“My girlfriend.” Mick looked at him with confusion, he probably still thought about him and Sofia but Dash couldn’t care less. 

“Do you even know how to play?” He pointed at the piano Dash was trying to put the microphone nearby. 

Dash sat and began playing something that seemed like a Christmas song but then proceeded to sound like the beginning of River, by Joni Mitchell and then paused abruptly. “Yes, I can play. Now help me out with this microphone.”

Mick walked down the stairs and helped him move the mic next to the piano, and close for Dash to sing and play at the same time. 

“Hey, Malloy… This Lily girl, do you love her?” The question took him by surprise, he looked at him in confusion. “Sorry, I was just asking.”

“It’s none of your business and...” He stopped his argument and remembered what Lily helped him with, to be calmer, to be a better person. She helped him change for good and just thinking about her made him feel better. So yes, he did love her. “I do actually, that’s why I’m doing all this.” 

Mick was about to say something else when another employee opened the door and told them Lily was coming. Dash stayed in his seat while Mick tried the best he could to look like he wasn’t there. She walked down the stairs and giggled when he saw Dash with the piano.

“Welcome dear public. Hope you are enjoying your Valentine’s Day” The microphone was working perfectly, this wasn’t going as bad as he expected and he could see the girl smiling. “This one is for this beautiful girl who’s standing there, hope you enjoy it, Lily. It’s called City of star, hope you know the lyrics”

Lily kept laughing and giggling with his words, he knew that she loved the song, that was the whole point of bringing her here. He wanted Lily to sing a song she loved in front of people, or at least in front of Mick, but he wanted to do it with her.

He took a deep breath and began playing the song, but in a higher key. “Shit sorry.” Mick cleared his throat, he remembered he promised not to swear or do any inappropriate behaviour while in the room “Right, sorry. A little rusty with this.”

Dash now started the song, in the right key, he could see Lily still standing by the stairs. He closed his eyes and began singing along “City of stars, are you shining just for me.” He was aware he wasn’t the greatest singer, he knew the lyrics and how to play the song and that was what he needed. 

“That now out dreams, they’ve finally come true” it was now time for Lily to join him in the next verse, but she just stared at him, she looked happy but nervous, he kept playing the same notes over again waiting for the right time for her to join. “We need Lily to come to the stage… please”

She smiled and made her way to the piano, trying not to touch any of the keys and she sat next to him. Her eyes had this spark that made him want to stay in that moment forever, she was so close he felt the urge to kiss her. Then she began singing.

“City of stars, just one thing everybody wants” listening to her voice was almost hypnotic, she looked like she was enjoying every second of her verse. She was looking at him with a big smile as she sang, she looked perfect.

_A rush_

_A glance_

_A touch_

_A dance_

With each line they got closer, she placed one of her hands on his leg, he was feeling that rush, that touch. Dash saw her smile, even more, knowing the next part is the uplifting part where they sing together. 

“Look in somebody’s eyes to light up the sky…” She was bobbing her head along with the notes he was playing on the piano, he could hear her trying to hold her giggles while she was singing along. “... a rat-tat-tat on my heart.”

“I think I want to stay” Dash stayed in silence to take a look at Lily in peace, words couldn’t describe how beautiful and serene she looked, he was getting lost in her when Lily mouthed him to continue the song. 

“City of stars, are you shining just for me…” Lily laid her head on his shoulders as he finished his verse, now it was her turn to finish the song.

_Never shined so brightly_

When Dash finished playing, Lily began clapping and cheering him and so did Mick, who came out from in between the boxes to join the cheers. He made his way to disconnect the Mick. Lily had no idea he was there so she looked at him with confusion.

“Mick, do you mind?” Dash waited until he went back to hiding in the boxes, he turned back to Lily and she unexpectedly gave him a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you Dash, this was perfect.” That was exactly what he wanted her to say, even though she said it with a smile she looked like she was quite worried. Out of panic Dash took a box out that he was hiding under his seat.

“I also got you this” It was a flat box but it was large so it took pretty much all the space between him and the piano, he handed her the box carefully. She held her and looked at it, trying to figure out what it was inside. “Go on, open it!”

The box was wrapped with newspaper, each page was painted with different colours, it didn’t look as fancy as he expected but at least he wrapped it himself. She unwrapped slowly and opened it to find inside a vinyl, it was Blue by Joni Mitchell and a plastic flower on top. 

“It’s a lily!” She held the flower close and gave him another kiss on the cheek, he responded by giving her a kiss on her lips, he waited for the whole song to do that.

“Malloy, remember what the boss said.” Of course Mick was still there, he was tapping his shoulder so he could stop his moment with Lily, she just waved at him with a smile and tried to contain her laughter.

“Thank you, Mick, you are… very considerate for reminding me.” He sounded sarcastic even if that wasn’t his intention, he turned to Lily. “Maybe we could go and..”

Lily stood up abruptly and exclaimed she had to go. She took all her things and left running, leaving Dash sitting alone and Mick looking at her with confusion. 

“Wait Dash!” Lily came back as quickly as she left, she kissed him by surprise, he was about to give her another when she stopped him to tell him something. “My place at 6...okay?”

He nodded, still processing the kiss and the information Lily gave him. She now gave him a kiss on his cheek and left again, this time she didn’t return.

“That girl is really…” Dash made a movement with his hand so Mick could stop talking. He knew what he was going to say, weird, odd, anything that made the world strange sound less harsh.

“She’s wonderful, I know.”


	3. Chapter 3

February 14, 10:19

Being with Dash didn’t last as long as she thought, it felt like an eternity, like those moments you want to freeze time to stay in that moment forever. Just thinking about it made her want to go back and...

“Wake up Lily!” She exclaimed to herself, she was in some kind of a hurry, even though she told Dash to meet in 8 hours but she needed more than that if she wanted her plan to be perfect.

Now, she needed a cab. This was going to be a hard thing, seeing most of them were full. Lily could see the taxis passed with people inside, as she took a closer look, she could see people together inside, some of them hugging, kissing, with gifts. She was starting to feel guilty for leaving Dash alone in the music store.

No one was stopping when Lily made a sign, she started to wonder if it was because she looked like a lonely crazy teen or they were just busy when she was about to leave walking, when a taxi stopped right in front of her, with a nice lady on the wheel.

She decided to call Langston as she made her way to her house in a cab, she still needed advice from his brother.

“So quickly? I’m telling you, Dash isn’t romantic at all” She could feel his judgment even if it was just a phone call.

“No! It was perfect, we sang a song and he played the piano and it was magical!”

“It didn’t even last an hour, I’m actually concerned about what you did there?”

Lily was about to hang up but she needed this. “Shut up! What are you doing anyway? You can’t complain about my day if you are not even doing anything.”

“I’m going to the zoo”

“Can I go too?” Lily’s question came out impulsively, she covered her mouth before speaking again. “I mean… that sounds really nice!”

“Yeah! And then we are doing other things, so I might not be home until tomorrow” Great, that meant only one thing and it was that Lily had to go to Mrs. Basil E’s. “Grandpa is not going to be home until next Tuesday so…”

Idea! Maybe she could make a perfect moment for the two of them. “Can I stay alone, please? I have an idea I just need the house to be alone. Pleaseeee”

There was silence, she hoped he was just doing something else and not trying to think of an answer to her question. The silence was killing her, she was going to ask again but Langston took her words. “Alright, just tell Mrs. Basil E you are staying with me, she doesn’t know I’m leaving”

Lily dropped her phone because she started cheering quietly and making a silly dance move to celebrate her victory. Even the driver looked at her to check what she was doing, she saw him and just gave him a thumb up as she picked up her phone from the floor.

“Oopsie… sorry for that” Langston limited himself just to say goodbye and hang up, apparently Benny was just arriving to pick him up and at that moment the cab also stopped. 

She paid and said goodbye to the driver and made her way to the stairs as fast as she could to see if Langston and Benny were still there, she was about to go inside the house when she hit someone with the door.

“Lily be more careful!” Langston was still there, Benny was behind him and waved her with a smile. She waved back at him and was about to tell her brother the whole story of what happened but both of them left, at least she had the whole house for herself.

She looked at the empty place, it looked bigger when she was all by herself. Now it was time to start decorating and cooking for their special night but… what was she going to do exactly?

She checked the clock, 11:47 am, she had the time in her hands and the place to do something. Lily made her way to the kitchen, trying to see what she could bake.

“Okay Lily let’s see” she looked around to see if she was actually completely alone, it wouldn’t be ideal to meet up with someone while talking to herself. She continued to look up for the ingredients for a cake, sugar, butter, flour, eggs, she got everything. “But the cake isn’t going to be enough.”

She let out a quiet groan before laying on the kitchen’s floor. The idea was there, baking a cake is a cute idea, isn’t it? But Dash just gave her one of her most perfect memories she could think of. The beautiful melody he played on the piano was still playing in her head.

“City of stars, are you shining just for me” Lily began singing to herself and that’s when the idea came to her mind. “City of stars! That’s it!” 

She was going to give her the city of stars, the song technically didn’t speak about New York but she wanted to have a lovely picnic under the stars with him. All everything to Dash’s choice of song and Langston’s dates on the rooftop around Christmas. 

Lily ran to her room to find something to warm each other, lots of blankets and some pillows to make it look a little cozier. She also picked up some of her Christmas lights, the rooftops wasn’t a fancy place so the least she could do was decorate it.

She made a mental list of what she needed to take, the blankets, pillows, the lights for decoration, the portable vinyl player her parents got her for her birthday, snacks, the cake she was about to bake, maybe hot chocolate? And the laptop so they could watch a movie if the stars weren’t so clear this night.

She had most of the items she listed in her arms, she could barely move or see where she was going. Lily made a pause to process, she had more than 4 hours to take all those things, she looked at the table in the living room and she was definitely going to need that too.

Lily took a deep breath, she was going to do all that by herself, she knew she could do it she just needed to organize her messy ideas so first, she needed to bake that cake. 

“You can do it, Lily! For Dash”


	4. Chapter 4

February 14, 7:08

Lily messaged him to meet up later than she warned him, she wasn’t too specific ‘After 6:30 would be nice’ the messaged said, of course, it contained an excessive amount of emojis Dash found cheesy but cute.

He found his way to her flat, the whole place looked dark and there was a note in the door. “Dear Dash, you made it! But it’s not here, please go to the rooftop” reading her note made him smile, it also had a doodle that seemed to be him, but as a stickman.

The problem was, he had no idea what was the way to the rooftop. He actually never made it this far, Lily would usually tell him to wait downstairs, it took him around 18 minutes to find the right door. 

He took just one step and almost slipped with a paper on the floor, he picked it up and found a heart made of pink paper, it had written ‘good keep following!’ that’s when saw the floor, it was full of paper hearts made of different colours. 

On his way on the stairs, he picked at least 20 hearts, some of them fell off but he held as much as he could. His eyes were on the floor so he didn’t notice he was there, in front of a metal door and his head hit against it, opening it and he almost fell.

“Dash be careful!” Lily ran to hold him, he didn’t trip that bad but her he knew she was going to help in any way. She helped him to stand still and then covered his eyes. “I don’t know if you looked when you tripped but I’m still guiding you anyways.”

“Alright, just don’t push me, please. This building is kinda high.” They both laughed at his joke but Lily still gave him a slight punch with her free hand. They didn’t walk much, she stopped them Dash accidentally kicked something that felt fluffy. 

“So… what do you think?” Lily uncovered his eyes, he found himself standing near some pillows and a blanket extended on the floor. The place was lit by candles and Christmas lights around the walls, in front of them there was a coffee table with a cake and two bowls with snacks. Music was playing, it was from the vinyl he gave her earlier that day the voice of Joni and the place felt perfectly peaceful.

“It’s beautiful…” he took a moment to check the place again. He felt Lily’s hands behind his shoulders, pushing him down slightly so he could take a seat. He followed her hand and sat down in the blanket.

“Look, I baked this cake. It’s shaped like a heart because it’s Valentine’s Day, strawberry flavoured and there’s more!” She moved closer to the table and handed him a cup. “That’s coffee, it’s cold here so warm yourself up! Here’s also popcorns and pretzels with M&MS!, those are my favourites; they remind me of us! Because you are salty and…” There was a moment of silence, Dash trying not to laugh at her random insult and Lily trying to find a better way to express her idea. “I mean, because you like salt things and you know, I’m very sweet.”

Lily took a seat next to him and grabbed another blanket to cover herself and him too. “So you brought me all the way to this not so warm rooftop so we could eat snacks and call me salty?” He reached for a pretzel and also gave her some M&MS. “I’m honestly not complaining, I love it!”

Lily threw her on her chocolates, he caught it and threw it back at her. “Don’t be silly! We are here to watch the stars!”

Those words made Dash’s heart melt right away, without even thinking he leaned to kiss her, her lips tasted like strawberry and even if they were in a cold night it was a warm kiss. He felt her hands in his back, pulling him closer. She was getting closer to him and he was getting closer to lay on the floor. He lingered his fingers through his hair, somehow Lily just managed to make every moment perfect and everlasting, he was losing himself in that kiss when a dog passed barking and a kid passed running too.

They both sat as if nothing happened, in complete silence before laughing at the noise of the kid and the dog. After other seconds of silence, Lily finally said something. “The sky looks good, doesn’t it?”

Dash looked up to the sky, he could barely see any star. “You can’t see the stars actually, light pollution.” Lily laughed and then reached for something under the table. 

“I knew you would say that! That’s why I brought THIS!” She showed him her laptop and was about to open it but he stopped her. She looked at him a little confused but he just smiled at her.

“You know what?” He looked up to the sky again, it was fully dark, except for a few bright spots and an aeroplane that was passing by. It was perfect either way. “Let’s just forget the movie and stay like this, together and you know… with a little quiet”

“It’s not really that quiet, close your eyes and focus on the sounds” He followed Lily’s instructions. He could hear the cars pass and some people passing by, some of them just talking and others being louder, now he could hear Joni Mitchell singing “A case of you” while Lily was humming along. 

He opened his eyes, Lily still had them close and was quietly singing along to the song. He didn’t say anything he just looked at her, the light of the candles and the Christmas lights made her look even more beautiful. 

“Thank you, Lily.” She opened her eyes and looked at him, she seemed confused but still with a smile on her face. “This is just… beautiful and you make everything feel perfect! And—” 

Lily kissed him mid-sentence, even though he couldn’t tell her how she makes every minute they are together special, how he’s been through a lot of Valentine’s Day, this one just felt like one day he will always remember. He didn’t say it but he knew Lily understood.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Dash” She placed her arm around him and pulled him closer so she could lay her head on his shoulder. They were both sitting in a cold night of February, looking at the blank sky of New York while listening to Joni’s melancholic voice, he couldn’t ask for a better way to spend that night.

**Author's Note:**

> this is the last chapter! I hope you liked it : ) ! I might write more dash & lily things, I really enjoyed writing for these characters


End file.
